stevenb

Nah, more trips to the gym! Definately not a girly man gun. I carried it a couple miles a few weeks ago on the sling. It wasn't bad actually. -Steve

They won't sell you a new recoil tube. You can either have slots milled into the recoil tube, which can be better then factory since you can add more slots to give you an adjustable stock pull length. Or, you can purchase an aftermarket recoil tube from surecycle and have the slots milled into it. This is the way I'm going. But it isn't a do it yourself kind of job. It's a real SOB to get the recoil tube out without doing damage to the receiver. It's a job for a good gunsmith. I am debating about having Robar install it for me, or having Surecycle themselves do it. The good thing about rifles and shotguns is that they do not need to be mailed overnight like pistols. So shipping won't be that bad. -Steve

The disconnect swivel is in the rifle section: http://www.sidearmor.com/cart/catalog/product_12_Rail_Interface_Sling_Module.html The Tacstar is the model for the Benelli M1. I guess one size fits all. No modification is needed. The sling I got was from Specter Gear, the model is called a CQB. http://www.spectergear.com/cqb_sling.htm I simply bought the one made for the Benelli M1 / M3. It is tricky to figure out how to install it. Expecially with the stock shell carrier. You could use the factory sling loop if you change it so the mouth is towards the left hand side. Only issue is when cleaning you'll have a sling binding your receiver and barrel together. Not sure about the M3 illuminator. I'd be concerned that you couldn't properly disassemble the weapon with it installed. Can't see how the barrel would slip over the lights mount. I dislike barrel clamp mount designs anyways. They have a tendancy to trash the finish on your weapon. For you, I'd use the Sidearmor, then mout a light to it. Maybe a surefire or something. -Steve

:cheers: On some of the other accessories out there that you've mentioned. I went with a 3 point sling due to the weight of the weapon. A single point sling would not work very well IMO. I went with a CQB sling from Specter Gear. I also got their stock side saddle carrier. I think it only works for the fixed pistol grip stock, unsure if it would fit on the collapsible model. I removed the factory front sling loop, and used a quick disconnect sling swivel that is mounted to the Sidearmor rail. www.sidearmor.com I also went with the EOTech 552. I weighed it, the Aimpoint and the Trijicon Tripower. I liked the features of the Tripower, but hated the reticle. I prefered the EOTech reticle over the Aimpoints. I tried mounting my EOTech as far forward as possible, but I noticed I was getting a lot of wear on the mount of the EOTech. Not a lot of the locking lugs were engaged that far forward. So I seated it as far back as possible. If the M80 offers an uninterupted rail on the top, I'll move it forward again. I have on order an EOTech quick disconnect throw lever mount from GG&G. Its been on friggin order since the beginning of January though... I'm waiting for the oversized bolt release, and an oversized charging handle from GG&G as well. Supposidly it is going to ship by the end of this month... Having an easily removeable optic, I plan to install trijicon night sights on it now. I'm considering having the barrel magnaported also. I considered getting a working collapsibe stock, but I think I'm going to stick with the fixed pistol grip. I have plans to refinish the weaon in Rogard and NP3 at Robar when I finally complete it. I'm weighing having some work done at Surecycle on the action and upgrading the feed tube. I may just try to get Robar to do the work instead of shipping twice. Need the M80 railed end so I can put the vertical forward grip. Then route the laser tape switch onto the vertical grip. Then, I will mount the Gladius on the right side of the weapon with a Larue Tactical offset mount. This should put the rear button right at my support arm thumb. I'm leaning towards the Tango down forward vertical grip to save on weight opposed to using the Dieter model. I need to look at the weight differences to see if it even matters.

Here's mine:

I think I bought my tacstar from Cabellas. It does make taking the trigger group out harder then a stock construction, but the trigger group rarely needs to be removed for cleaning. I've found that very little debris ends up on the trigger group. It just makes it harder to clean inside of the receiver with the trigger group in place. To install the Tacstar, you replace the pin that is captive through the receiver that holds the trigger group in place. The tacstar supplies a new pin that is threaded at the end, and has an allen wrench slot on the right side of the weapon. A washer is supplied to keep it from rubbing against the receiver when tightening it down and harming your finish. On the left side of the weapon, a metal plate is attached by the threaded end of the pin. This screws into the plate. Careful not to tighten this too much because it will bind up the action. A small nut is then supplied to tighten over the bolt that comes partially out of the front side of the plate. I put some loctite on this and torque it down pretty good. The rubber outside portion that actually holds the shells is then fixed to the metal plate by 6 allen screws. The rubber shotgun loops are easy to reload. I typically carry a bunch of extra rounds in my pocket. I speed reload from my sidesaddle, then top off when I have time from a pocket or a box. I find myself avoiding using the elastic type shell carrier on my fixed stock because it pretty much takes two hands to put shells into it. The laser is a 12mw visible green laser from Aimshot. I built the mount out of two ARMS #22 low mount scope rings. These are 30mm rings with the 1" ARMS spacers. I then used a 10 #14 rubber o-rings to build a shock isolation foundation and to fill the space between the 1" ID of the rings, and the 7/8" OD of the laser housing. This mount is then fixed to the Sidearmor forward rail mount. Pilots fear this laser. Just kidding. At night, you can see the beam in the air all the way to your target. But, from 5 or 10 feet from the side of you, the laser is invisible. So, only you and anyone immediately around you, or at the business end can see the beam. No word on the M80 rail. It was supposed to be unveiled at this SHOT show, but didn't. I'm waiting for it, and the Gladius light to complete my Benelli. I don't find the weight to be a big deal. Weight reduces preceived recoil. I blast a lot of clays with this M4, and I find it to still be very fast on a swing. Fast enough to blast pigeons going in 4 different directions. -Steve

Do they have a picatinny mount for it? You could get the Sidearmor rail system. http://sidearmor.com/images/shotgun/m401/gallery.html I have one, it is a quality system. I didn't get the extended top rail though. Since you'd need to loctite the mount to keep it from moving, it would be counterproductive on something you have to disassemble after every session of shooting. -Steve

You can purchase the Sidearmor mount. I have it, and it works well. It should work with the Surefire rail whenever its done also. If you simply want a light, and nothing else up front such as a vertical forward grip, and/or a laser, the sidearmor mount works well if you're willing to use a tape switch for your light. If you want all 3 things like myself, you'll need some offering from Surefire to complete it. Stay away from the DSA railed forend. It's overweight and vents debris on your hands. Worst case, you might be able to modify it. Plus a vertical forward grip wouldn't be too bad. I like the side saddle from tacstar better then the 3 gunner velcro nylon thing. The rubber shotgun shell holders are easy to reload. You can do it with one hand, where as the nylon elastic loops are a PITA. With the elastic ones, you end up not using them. The installation of the tacstar unit sucks, but I live with it. With 8 rounds in the weapon, 6 on the tacstar, and 6 in the buttstock shell carrier, along with my 12mw green laser, my weapon weighs in at 13.5 lbs. About 2 - 3 lbs of that at least are bullets. When I get my vertical grip, rail system, light; I should be weighing in around 15 lbs. loaded, 12 lbs. unloaded. -Steve

What kind of lumen output do you get with that M3x? How is the disassembly? It looks like you can't remove the barrel while the light is installed. Make sure you have the clam mount very tight. 12 gauge tends to make them loosen up, and when they do, they tend to jack up your finish in a hurry. Good job for the price though. My plans will end up costing me significantly more money... -Steve

The new stuff from Hornady, the TAP stuff looks very promising. How much for the 11707, and where did you get it? -Steve

Pretty easy to get the stock off. Dissassemble the weapon. Take the bolt out. Pop the pin on the right side of the weapon that holds the trigger assembly in place out. This pin is self captive, so it will not fall out of the left side. Push the bolt release while pulling the trigger assembly downward. A little wiggling and it will slide out. Then, the stock simply unscrews from the receiver. -Steve

Try Gunbroker.com I found the M3 to be overly heavy and the switch between manual and auto to be cumbersome. But that's just me. For the price, and the weight, I'd rather have the M4 -- if you can find one... -Steve

If you bought a 11707, you'd simply have to swap the stock. Plus, you'd be getting the newer barrel design. Removeable chokes, and 4 gas ports instead of 2. -Steve

Home security system. AKA as the cleavage cam. I have a DVR security network up around my house. Planning to add more to it in the near future. -Steve [ 02-14-2005, 12:20 PM: Message edited by: stevenb ]

I'm going to guess no due to the gas system under the barrel. I'm in the market for a mounted weapon light for my M4 as well. Surefire is supposed to release a railed forend sometime soon for the M4 called the M80. I currently have a Sidearmor mount on my M4, I'm thinking about mounting a light to it and using a tape switch for the activator. I also have a laser, so routing everything neatly is a PITA. I have a newer mount then shown for the laser. It takes up nearly the entire right hand rail. This is the new mount I built. I honestly don't know how I am going to mount mine. Running 2 tape switches on a shotgun is tricky. Right now I have the laser activator under my support hand thumb. I'm leaning towards mounting the light switch under my pointer, middle and ring finger. I'm not real thrilled with this setup though. If I could get a long enough tape switch, I'd run the laser activator all the way to the rear pistol grip and use my ringer, middle and pointer finger on that hand. Similar to the way Crimson Trace grips are. I'd need a 2 foot long tape switch though.... I'd then put the light tape switch under my thumb on my support arm. My other idea is to wait around for the Surefire railed forend. Then buy a vertical forward pistol grip. Run the laser tape switch to the vertical grip. Then Mount a Surefire light with a momentary preasure button off to the side so I can activate it with my support thumb. My only concern with this layout is how I will like the Benelli with a vertical grip, and when will Surefire get around to releasing this rail. This type of setup would allow me to use the new Gladius light. I hate the lights that clam to the barrel/magazine tube. You'd have to remove it every time you disassembled the weapon to clean it. I'm leaning towards the vertical pistol grip plan. Technically, you could build with one of those vertical pistol grips with the light in it. Wouldn't work in my situation though. You'd need the Surefire rail too. -Steve

I would think not since it has the gas system installed. The only barrels I know of for the M4 are the 18.5", and I've seen mention of a 14", but I have never seen one for sale. I wrote Benelli an e-mail the other day asking about it for Short Barreled Shotguns. There are a number of M1 barrels out there. Personally, I'd buy a Vangcomp/GG&G if I needed a new barrel for it. Sadly, they do not offer one as of yet. -Steve

I found the M3 to be overly heavy and cumbersome due to the design of the pump/auto switch. It isn't as simple as you would think to operate, you must push a lever to switch between auto and pump. I haven't looked at the M2 to see what the difference is between it and the M1. The M1 is hard to beat for its simplicity. I personally went with the M4. Less recoil, but it is heavier than the M1. M4's are hard to find, and definately are expensive. -Steve

Those on the 3gungear look like they're nylon. Are they easy to reload? I have to fight with the nylon one on the buttstock. -Steve

Sure is, I got mine off ebay. I think it was 60 bucks new in the package. Better then waiting for someone to get them in stock. -Steve

Thanks! You're right about the lighting. I run halogen lights in my house which doesn't help much. I'll fix the finish in a few months when it goes to Robar to be refinished in Rogard & NP3 on the inside. It's even worse in this picture, but it shows the newest additions I just completed. The laser is a 12mw visible green laser. Mounted in 2 ARMS 22 low mount scope rings with 1" spacers. I then had to make a custom mount to take those spacers down to the 7/8 diameter of the laser body. I did this with 5 #14 o-rings for each ring. Rock freakin' solid, with shock isolation benefits. Holds a zero perfect enough for shotgun work. You'll notice I pushed the EOTech back more to give it more support on the rail. The mount on the EOTech was getting beat up with such little support. Plus, it shifted some weight to the rear. I might reverse the mount so the throw levers point towards the back and be on the top though. I don't want the front snagging on anything. -Steve

This is a Tacstar unit. It's okay. Could be better though. If you install it improperly, it will jam up your gun. If you tighten it too much it squeezes the receiver which restricts the bolt. To install it, you have to remove the retainer ring from the take down pin that holds the trigger group in place. You replace the pin with a unit that is threaded on one end, and has a hex head tightener on the right side of the receiver. This has a washer under it to prevent damage to the finish. The threaded end threads into the back plate of the shell carrier which has some plastic clear padding on its arms to prevent damage to your finish. The bolt goes through the back plate of the shell carrier, then you put a nut on it to keep it from backing off. The outside of the tacstar unit is a rubbery material that actually holds the shells. This is held in place by 6 hexhead attachments that screw into the back plate. The bad thing about it is you have to go through all of this just to be able to pull the trigger group out. Pulling the trigger group out is usually done more then it really needs to be though. I'd bet you could go through 2000 rounds before needing to take it out for cleaning and relubing. I'd like to see one made that mounts to the top picatinny rail and drops down over the side, and doesn't interfere with removal of the trigger group pin. -Steve As for function, it is sweet.

Here is the best shot I could get birddog. I had to use the scanner, my camera won't take the picture properly. http://www.citlink.net/~lmiller/M4/rails.jpg I revised my statement about Roguard from Robar. I would pick it over Birdsong now, and plan to do so. I've read recently that Roguard is nearly double the salt water resistance then Birdsongs regular teflon coating. Roguard is also tougher then regular teflon finishes, it isn't so easily chipped off. -Steve [ 01-27-2005, 09:00 PM: Message edited by: stevenb ]

Will try to get some shots up tomarrow. I was cleaning it tonight since I put about 400 rounds through it yesterday and today. All the normal wear that you see on a standard 9x series frame is non-existant. No white spots. This is a pretty tight fit as well, no slop fest. -Steve

WD40 will make a primer inert in a few days if left in contact, I highly recommend not using the product in firearms. The way to minimize fouling is the idea that less is more. You don't want oil dripping off your weapon, this simply collects dirt and carbonizes during firing. If the part in question that you are oiling doesn't slide against another part, a simple light coating of oil that can later be wiped off will prevent corrosion. Excess oil simply acts as a magnet for dirt and debris. I avoid spray solvents since they tend to take the debris deep into the weapon and collect at a point not easily accessable. I occassionally use brake spray or gun scrubber on really dirty jobs. Note that reoiling it is mandatory after this since it strips all surface oil off. Look into Mpro7 for a cleaner. It doesn't stink up the house so you can do it in your livingroom. -Steve

birddog, Not exactly sure what you want to see, but I do have some high resolution shots of my Teflon coated Elite II. http://www.citlink.net/~lmiller/alessi03big.jpg http://www.citlink.net/~lmiller/gear2.jpg http://www.citlink.net/~lmiller/gearbig1.jpg http://www.citlink.net/~lmiller/LTT/details.jpg I tried scanning and taking a picture of the inside of the receiver to show the lack of wear, but it is difficult to properly focus. Will try again tomarrow. Good news is, I don't think my Benelli's barrel is ruined. I think it is some seriously sturborn lead. So my birdsong job will be sooner then expected. My main thing I'm waiting on is the Surefire railed forend, and possibly a Gladius weapon light. -Steve